Catalogue

The White Lion Inn has at various times in its history has had the name Hotel tagged on. It commenced life as a coaching inn situated near the top of a steep hill called Honeywall commencing from the town of Stoke-upon-Trent, a road which dates from prehistoric times. The inn is shown on Yates’s map of 1775, and the 1777 Duchy of Lancaster Map on which it is recorded as in the occupation of Mr Thomas Appleton. Records for the Justices of the Peace at Stafford record the issuing of a licence to sell wines and spirits from the mid-18th century.

Thomas Appleton had established himself as a property owner as early as 1762 and was involved in numerous mortgage transactions over the following years, mostly concerning three cottages and stables, two of which were rented out while he occupied the other. Although no direct name is given to the property, I think it safe to assume that these three cottages would be the origins of what is now the White Lion Inn of today. The view from the front of the inn points to the conclusion that this could originally have been three cottages later converted into one.

In 1861 it was owned by Richard Stone who sold the plot of land at the rear of the inn to Frederick Bishop to enable a new road to be built from Honeywall to Princes Road, thereby opening up the area for housing development from 1865. Note the name Stone Street.

Probably as a direct result of the development of the nearby allotments housing estate towards the end of the 18th century, The White Lion was extended as can be seen from the red brick addition. By 1914, the inn was occupied by Harvey Howell, and owned by Burton Brewers, and described as the White Lion Inn with stables and garden. The annual rent paid by Mr Harvey amounted to £60, and the rates amounted to £48. If compared with those of The Beehive, it is obvious that The White Lion was a much more substantial establishment than The Beehive just across the road.

The origins of the old Terrace Inn were I suspect at the same time included in the old row of five cottages terraced properties, just below what was to become known as Commercial Row, the old narrow short street leading to The Views. The first documents relating to the properties are dated the 29^th of July 1858, with the transfer of the cottages to Hester Till from her late husband John. This suggests that it was John that in all probability had inherited them from his parents who may have been there for several decades before 1858. By 1870, Hester had died, and the property was left to her daughter, Mrs Priscilla Scholes of Derby, and her son William Scholes. The property was promptly sold to Mary Ann Cliff on the 29th of December 1870 for the sun of £451. Mary Cliff, the licensee, was recorded as a widow but later married Mr Thomas Bratt.

For many years the old Terrace Inn was probably the most popular with the locals. Many stories still circulate of the old characters that frequented the pub. I recall my late friend Ernest Tew talking to me some thirty years ago of his memories of the 1930s and 40s when the back-room snug was often referred to as ‘The Third Programme’. The highlight of the pub was the little men’s smoke room where the conversation was brilliant, debating most things of the day from politics to religion. Sometimes they became very heated, especially after a few pints. Mugs were frequently picked up in anger but never actually thrown. It was here in this little room that everyone was an equal no matter what his position was. All were on Christian name terms and included many high-ranking officials from the council. It was truly a remarkable meeting place.

At the corner of Manor Court Street and Newcastle Lane stood for many years, The Royal Oak Inn. The premises were surrendered as a mortgagee was in default to William Bridgwood in 1860 who converted two cottages out of a row of eight into a beer house.  At a copyhold court held on the 13th day of September 1866 the properties were sold to John Royal.

The 1861 census lists the property as The Royal Oak, but then recorded not in Church Street, but at the top of Newcastle Street, numbered 1 and 3. It was occupied by a direct ancestor of mine George Henry Underwood, aged thirty-six, beer seller and potter, born Penkhull. He was married to Eliza, aged thirty-eight, of Stoke. They had four children, Henry, aged sixteen, John, aged twelve, and both working as potters’ boys, followed by Frank, aged nine and James, aged two. James was my great grandfather. His daughter Eliza Ann was my grandmother who married Thomas Talbot in 1908.

The 1871 census shows that Benbow, then aged thirty-six, also worked as a potters colour maker as well as running the beer house in the evening alongside his wife. a practice not uncommon for the period. Benbow was born at Coalbrookdale and married to Jane, aged thirty-seven a widow Her son, George Willott, aged thirteen, was working as a turner. Three other children were also living at the house but also took in lodgers to make ends meet making a total of nine people living there.

Ten years later in 1881, The Royal Oak was held by Mr David Shenton, aged forty-0five, and his wife Mary, aged forty-two, together with their seven children ranging from Albert, aged twenty, to Blanch, aged one. Three years later, in May 1884, his wife Mary died and is buried in Penkhull churchyard. Her gravestone reads In Loving Memory of Mary Ann, the beloved wife of David Shenton of the Royal Oak Inn.

By 1891, David Shenton had remarried to Emma, aged thirty-four, eleven years his junior. At the time there remained four children living at home, together with Jane Bryan, a domestic servant. Shenton died on the 15th of March 1900, aged seventy-two. He is buried alongside his first wife Mary.

Shenton had already sold The Royal Oak in 1890 to Parkers Brewery although he continued to run the establishment at least until 1891 on their behalf. The court minute commences by stating that Shenton was formerly of The Royal Oak, licensed victualler but afterwards of No. 14 Church Street, grocer but at the time of the court record living at No. 191 Campbell Road Stoke.

The present Greyhound Inn, formerly known as Penkhull Hall then previously by the name of Greenhead House, (simply – head of the green) stands opposite to what is now the west door of the parish church, but before the church was built here was a large open space of common manorial waste where the village pinfold was situated. In the first place the Greyhound was an old building, originally a farmhouse, would be constructed of timber, wattle and daub with one large room – the large parlour, which was used for the Customary Court Baron and Court Leet. This section of the building now forms the public bar section of the Inn. The building still retains its original form, although largely reconstructed in 1936.

Beneath the floor was The Penkhull Lock-up often used for the confinement of drunks who were usually released the next day, or to hold people being brought before the local magistrate the following morning. A typical village lock-up is a small structure with a single door and a narrow-slit window or opening. Lock-ups were not a gaol; they were only a temporary place to secure prisoners.

A precise history is told with the aid of court rolls, Hearth Tax Record, surveys of the manor and parish records, all meticulously recorded to provide an accurate unique account of its history from the 14th century.  The essay is 21 pages x A4 with many photographs which will no doubt give great pleasure to the reader, and even more help with late night conversations in the pub debating its history.